Building provider competencies in IMCI through CBT: Demonstration of a six-day CD-ROM interactive course

Background: The WHO/UNICEF Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines were introduced in developing countries worldwide to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with common childhood diseases and malnutrition. Duration and cost of the standard course has remained a challenge. The standard IMCI training course requires 11 days of lectures and clinical practice, with about six facilitators for about 24 clinician trainees. The complete IMCI training program includes three on-the-job coaching visits as part of a preceptorship over the following year.

The Innovation: The Quality Assurance Project (QAP) developed a computer-based training (CBT) version of the IMCI course on CD-ROM that is an alternative to the classroom lecture part of the standard WHO/UNICEF IMCI training course. Field testing of the CD-ROM in Kenya in 2005 showed that randomly assigned health workers were able to use the program without difficulty and that they scored equivalently on post-training knowledge tests as those who were randomly assigned to the longer 11-day standard course. The cost of training using the IMCI CBT is projected to be 12% less than the total cost of training in the standard 11-day course.

Goal of the Demonstration: The goal is to demonstrate how this computer-based IMCI course can be used to accelerate transfer of knowledge and building of skills of various professionals involved in training or implementation of IMCI.

Conclusion: The equivalent effectiveness compared with the standard course but lower costs of this CBT program supports its use in accelerating acquisition of IMCI knowledge and skills in resource-constrained settings.